Let’s dive into the top five chess strategies for beginners that will help you play more confidently and with purpose.

Why you must know strategies in chess?

Strategy in chess helps for creating a game plan, so you’re not just reacting to your opponent but anticipating their moves and working toward your own goals.

Understanding strategic basics gives you confidence as a player, builds your awareness of the board, and helps you see the game’s big picture.

Let’s look at five essential strategies that will help you play a stronger, smarter game.

1. The Importance of Control over the Center

If you’ve ever watched experienced players, you might have noticed they focus on controlling the center squares (specifically, e4, d4, e5, and d5) early on.

Think of the center as the “heart” of the board, if you control it, you have more options to move and attack, and one of the biggest benefits of controlling the center is to  limit your opponent’s choices.

Now next question arises here how to control the center?

Here is the image of center with highlighted squares which helps you get more power.

Controlling the center

Let me explain.

You must start by moving a pawn to e4 or d4 as white, and  e5 or d5 as black. Then support those pawns with other pieces, especially your knights and bishops. Here is in example of white’s center.

My Suggestions:

Don’t push too many pawns out at once. It’s tempting, but overextending leaves gaps for your opponent to exploit. Stick with 1-2 center pawn moves at the start and bring in other pieces to back them up.

2. Developing Your Pieces Effectively

Piece development means getting your pieces (knights, bishops, and eventually your rooks) into active positions early on.

Developing pieces means you’ll have more attacking and defensive options as the game progresses. An undeveloped piece is one that can’t help you!

How will you develop your pieces? just bring out your knights first (preferably to f3 and c3 for white, or f6 and c6 for black), followed by your bishops to squares that influence the center, like c4 or f4, castle and then connect rook.

Here is an image of developed knights and bishops:

My Suggestions:

Move each piece just once in the opening unless absolutely necessary. Aim to place your pieces in active squares and avoid moving the same one repeatedly.

3. The Power of Pawn Structure

Once the grandmaster said “Pawns are soul of chess”.

What does your pawn structure do? Pawns support each other and provide “walls” for other pieces to hide behind, especially your king.

pawn structure – pawn chain

In above picture, you can see pawn chain, which means black can not attack on these pawns and they are protecting each other, this type of pawn structure is called pawn chain.

Your pawn structure determines how open or closed your position is, influences your pieces’ movement, and affects your king’s safety.

How to keep pawn structure intact and solid? Aim to keep your pawns in chains where they can support each other. Avoid creating isolated pawns or moving too many in the same line, as this can create weaknesses.

My Suggestions:

Play pawns carefully—once you move them, they can’t go back. Try to visualize the future of your pawn structure before committing to a move.

4. Using Your King’s Safety to Your Advantage

Castling is a great way to protect your king, as it moves him to the edge of the board and activates your rook, a valuable piece that’s often underutilized in the opening.

Why do you castle in chess? A protected king is harder to checkmate, allowing you to focus on developing and attacking without constantly worrying about your defense.

How to castle in chess? Castling involves moving the king two squares to the left or right, and placing the rook on the square next to it.

You can castle once per game on either side, provided the king and rook haven’t moved and there’s no piece or no check in between them.

My Suggestions:

Decide early which side to castle based on your opponent’s moves. If they’re attacking on one side, castle to the other for added safety. More info on castling can be found: https://chessrewards.com/how-to-castle-in-chess/

5. Recognizing the Value of Piece Coordination

Coordinating your pieces means positioning them so they support each other and create threats, making your moves harder to counter and increasing their overall impact on the board.

Good piece coordination can create powerful threats and minimize weaknesses. It ensures that each move is backed up by others, making it harder for your opponent to exploit isolated or unsupported pieces.

How will you coordinate your pieces? Aim to connect your rooks on open files, align your bishops and knights to control key squares, and avoid leaving any piece unsupported.

Rooks are especially powerful when they control open or semi-open files, while bishops can dominate long diagonals and knights are most effective near the center.

Conclusion

I hope these top 5 chess strategies for beginners will surely help you as you continue to practice, these strategies will help you build a solid foundation.

Focus on the basics, stay patient, and take each game as an opportunity to learn. With time and practice, you’ll find yourself becoming a more confident, strategic player.

Still have any questions? feel free to ask at chessrewards.com

The post Top 5 Chess Strategies for Beginners appeared first on Chess Mars.

If you’re just starting out or looking for an easy way to get a head start, then here’s a step-by-step guide on executing the Scholar’s Mate.

Before going to Scholar’s mate let’s learn what actually scholar mate is:

What is the Scholar’s Mate?

The Scholar’s Mate is a quick and direct checkmating tactic where the attacking side uses the queen and bishop to target the opponent’s vulnerable f7 square (for black) or f2 square (for white).

These squares are weak because they’re only defended by the king, making them prime targets for the attack.

Step-by-Step Execution of the Scholar’s Mate

Let’s learn scholar mate with pictures so you can understand logic behind it and learn how to do it properly.

1. e4 e5
White  starts by advancing his king’s pawn to two squares (e4), a common opening move that controls the center and frees up space for your pieces.

Your opponent might respond with e5, mirroring your move to control the center.

2. Qh5
Now you are starting to win your chess game in 4 moves and thats why you should play Queen to h5, targeting the f7 square directly.

This move puts pressure on the weak f7 pawn while also positioning the queen in an aggressive stance. This might seem premature, but it sets up the plan for a quick mate.

3. Bc4
After black defends e5 pawn, Now you should develop your bishop to c4.

This creates a powerful queen-and-bishop battery aiming at f7.

You’ve now set up the possibility for a checkmate if your opponent doesn’t see the attack.

4. Qxf7#
Black underestimate your threat and plays Nf6 to kick away the queen but now you can deliver Scholar’s mate by capturing the pawn on f7 with your queen, delivering checkmate.

The king has no escape, and you win the game in just four moves.

This simple setup works well against players who aren’t aware of the Scholar’s Mate, especially beginners.

But remember, more experienced players will likely know how to counter this strategy, so use it with caution!

Common Mistakes to Avoid

While the Scholar’s Mate is easy to execute, there are a few pitfalls that beginners often fall into when trying to pull off this quick victory.

1. Moving the Queen Too Early

Bringing the queen out too soon can backfire if your opponent recognizes the setup. If they counter the threat, you could end up with your queen under attack and forced to retreat.

2. Ignoring Defense

Focus too heavily on attacking, and you might neglect your defenses. If your opponent anticipates the Scholar’s Mate, they might counterattack in the center or on the queenside, gaining a strong position.

3. Not Planning for a Counter

If the Scholar’s Mate fails, you should have a backup plan. Transition smoothly into another opening, like the Italian Game or the Ruy Lopez, which will give you good positional play if the four-move mate doesn’t work.

Chess Game of Scholar’s Mate

Here is a chess game played in 1972 between two chess players. Let’s watch and see Scholar’s mate in action.

Conclusion

Scholar’s mate doesn’t work above 500 rating players, they know how to defend it, so if you are playing much lower rated or beginner you can try to win Scholar’s mate.

If you still have any questions feel free to ask.

The post How to Win Chess in 4 Moves [Scholar’s Mate] appeared first on Chess Mars.

This guide will offer comprehensive chess tips for beginners to help you on your chess journey, with examples and games.

Understand the Rules of Chess

Before diving into strategy or tactics, ensure that you have a thorough understanding of how each piece moves and the objectives of the game. Chess is a game of checkmate, where the ultimate goal is to trap your opponent’s king.

Here are must know topics for beginners.

How the pieces move

Every beginner must know the basics of piece moves, especially unique moves like castling, pawn promotion, and en passant. if you don’t know about en passant this guide may help you: https://chessrewards.com/en-passant/

Check and checkmate

Giving check and delivering check mate will be the first goal of every beginner, you must understand how to spot checkmate and avoid falling into one.

The value of pieces

If you know the values of your pieces, and your opponent’s pieces, that will help you to analyze who is better and who has the advantage, later, that advantage can be converted into a win.

Please recognize these values of pieces in chess.

Queen: 9 Points

Rook: 5 Points

Bishop: 3 Points

Knight: 3 Points

Pawn: 1 Point

By evaluating their values, you may check who is better and who has material advantage in your chess game, then convert your material advantage into win. This should be your number 1 winning strategy in chess.

Master the Basics of Chess Openings

What is opening in chess? basically first few moves of chess is called opening. The first few moves are very important because its decide the way of chess game and how should both player will play, that’s why sticking to basics of chess opening is necessary for all chess players.

Here are some basics rules that you must apply in your all chess games.

The post Chess Tips for Beginners (Coach’s Guide) appeared first on Chess Mars.

This article will guide you through various techniques to create and exploit weaknesses, illustrated with exemplary chess games.

What is a Weakness in chess?

In chess, a weakness refers to a structural or positional flaw in your opponent’s position. It can be a weak pawn, an exposed king, or even a piece that is poorly placed. Identifying and targeting these weaknesses can be the key to success.

Importance of Creating Weaknesses

Creating weaknesses in your opponent’s position helps you to control the game. It forces your opponent to defend and respond to threats, often leading to errors and mistakes. You can steer the game in your favor by systematically creating and exploiting these weaknesses.

How to create Pawn weakness in chess

The pawns are the soul of chess, I hope you heard this phrase before, and if you have an understanding of chess you know this phrase by heart.

Let’s bypass the theory and let’s learn how to find weakness in your opponent’s camp and how will you exploit it.

There will be two steps.

• One is finding a weakness.
• The second is exploiting.

That’s very easy, please pay attention to it, it will bring you a lot of success :).

How to find weakness in chess

When the pawn leaves its original position let’s say 1.e4 ( the pawn moved to 1.e4 and its original position was e2) if the pawn leaves its original position and does not have another pawn in support or is backed by another pawn then this pawn is a weakness because other pawns can not defend it.

Let me explain with a picture of the chessboard here. Can you find the weakness in the below picture, please take time and try to find the weakness there yourself.

I hope you will find the weakness here if not then here it is the picture below.

If the pawn is not supported by another pawn after moving from its original position then that’s what we call a weakness in pawns.

Now you found the weakness and let’s move to step 2 on how to exploit it.

How to create weakness in chess

To exploit weakness we must attack and win it or create another weakness. When your opponent has two weaknesses then his pieces will be tied down to defend and that’s your advantage.

Let’s watch the game and check how Peter Leko exploits the weakness in black’s camp.

After the last move king c6 black has no way to defend his weakness on b6.

Isolated Pawns

Isolated pawns are also a weakness but hard to crack until you know the theory. So when you have an isolated pawn, you should push that isolated pawn at the right time for two reasons, one is to get rid of the isolated pawn and the second is to open the position.

Doubled Pawns

Doubled pawns occur when two pawns of the same color end up on the same file. They are generally weaker because they cannot protect each other.

In the opening, if your opponent succeeds in doubling your pawn that means you will have trouble the whole game, so keep an eye for your pawn structure and you can apply the same rule if your opponent has the doubled pawn.

Conclusion

Creating and exploiting weaknesses in your opponent’s position is a crucial skill in chess.

By understanding and implementing the strategies discussed in this article, you can improve your game and increase your chances of winning.

Whether it’s through creating pawn weaknesses, controlling open files, or employing tactical devices like pins and forks, these techniques will help you become a stronger player.

If you still have any questions feel free to ask.

The post How to Create Weakness in Chess [Images and Games] appeared first on Chess Mars.

There are many ways to get better at chess but I will describe 14 proven methods which will work on all levels. Try these methods and improve your chess quickly.

let’s start.

1. Study the Basics

Every chess master was once a beginner at chess and without the basics of chess, you can not improve. The basics dose does not mean how to move their chess pieces, instead, basics mean you should know the strategy of a chess game because both players have the same power, it means you should outplay your opponent by developing good strategy than your opponent.

For example, the basics of chess opening are to control the center, develop your pieces, get a castle and provide shelter to your king.

In conclusion, you should study the basic of the opening, middle game, and endgame.

2. Learn Popular Chess Openings

There are many chess openings, and choosing the best opening for yourself is one of the main tasks.

In order to select the best chess opening for yourself you may get help from a chess coach, or a professional chess friend who is better than you at chess or you may follow the wind.

What I mean is that playing the popular chess openings will be an easy option for you because all the information will be available for free on the Internet.

Here are some popular chess openings which you can learn and play, they are solid openings and tested by super chess engines.

1. Italian Game

2. Ruy Lopez

3. Sicilian Defense

(checkout 23 variations of Sicilian Defense: https://chessrewards.com/what-is-the-sicilian-defense-in-chess/)

4. Nimzo Indian Defense

For a further list of all the popular chess openings, you may visit my guide on how to select the best chess openings at: https://chessrewards.com/what-is-the-best-chess-opening/.

3. Learn Middle Game Plans

You can not win a chess game without learning a middle game of your chess openings. Even if you play the strongest chess moves in the opening phase, you may get the advantage in material like a pawn or sth but it’s not guaranteed that you will win the game if you don’t know the middle game plan.

For example, in Queen’s Gambit Declined there are two plans for white, one is to go for the minority attack and the second is to play in the center.

Here is the picture of the minority attack in QGD:

In the above picture, the white player started a minority attack, this is the standard position of QGD exchange variation.

Now in the minority attack, white will push his queenside pawns and White will create a weakness on the c6 square.

Like the above example, there are plans for every chess opening and in order to master middle-game skills, you must know those plans which are attached to your chess openings.

4. Learn Endgame

As without learning the opening and middlegame, you can not win the chess game, the same rule applies in the endgame.

You may get an advantage from the opening to middlegame but if you do not know how to convert it into a winning endgame you will lose the game.

Learning an endgame is one of the main differences between club players and the titled player.

In the endgame, you must know simple king and pawn endgame, minor pieces endgame, opposite bishops, the same color bishops, and the rook endgame.

Lucena Position (White Wins)

Lucena’s position in Rook Endgame

This is the winning position in the endgame, like this example there are many positions that you can win by just looking at even you don’t need to calculate.

In conclusion, you must study the endgame which includes, minor pieces, opposite color bishop, and rook endgames.

5. Learn Checkmating Patterns

If you don’t know how to checkmate a lonely king with a knight and bishop then you must learn checkmating patterns.

There are many checkmating patterns that you must be aware of. Here are some of the famous checkmating patterns with pictures.

1. Fool’s Mate

2. Scholar’s Mate

3. Arabian Mate

4. Anastasia’s Mate

5. Boden’s Mate

6. Solve Chess Puzzles

Solving chess puzzles is extremely important in chess, solving chess puzzles also helps to avoid blunders. There are many themes in chess puzzles. In order to improve tactical vision, you must master these tactical motifs.

Here is a list of some of the motifs/patterns that you must be aware of.

1. Pin

A piece is pinned when it is unable to move because it is protecting a more valuable piece that would be exposed if it were to move.

2. Fork

A fork is a tactic in which one piece attacks two or more pieces at the same time.

3. Skewer

A skewer is a tactic that forces a more valuable piece to move so that a less valuable piece can be captured.

4. Double attack

A double attack is a tactic in which a single piece attacks two different pieces at the same time.

5. Discovered attack

A discovered attack is a tactic in which a piece is moved to reveal an attack by another piece.

6. Deflection

Deflection is a tactic that redirects the defending piece away from its defensive duty.

7. Zwischenzug (in-between move)

An in-between move is a move played in between a sequence of expected moves, often disrupting the opponent’s plans.

8. Decoy

A decoy is a tactic that lures an opponent’s piece to a less desirable square or position.

9. Trapped piece

A trapped piece is a piece that has no escape squares and is threatened with capture.

10. Back rank checkmate

A back-rank checkmate is a tactic in which a player delivers a checkmate by moving a piece to attack the opponent’s king on its back rank.

In conclusion, you can find these motifs on the internet, there are many sites where you can solve these puzzles, I would like to recommend lichess.org because it’s free, and if you have paid membership on chess.com then it’s better to go with chess.com

7. Analyze Every Chess Game

Please make sure that you must analyze your every chess game because analyzing your chess games is a crucial part of improving in chess and it also helps to see missed tactical shots like mate in 3, 4, etc.

Once Garry Kasparov said that I analyze my all chess games whether I lose or I win. That’s the importance of analyzing chess games.

So after reading this, you should analyze your chess game whether you play online or on the board and if you analyze regularly, I can guarantee you that it will impact your chess you will improve quickly.

8. Play Chess Games Regularly

It’s serious advice that you should play chess regularly, taking breaks is ok but if there is a long gap then it can break your chess.

When you play chess regularly, your focus becomes stronger, and your tactical strength increases, and you will learn something new in every chess game, and you will also get the benefits of strong memory, like when you learn a new chess opening or variation.

In conclusion, you must play chess games regularly especially on the board, if you do not have time for going to a chess club then you can play online but playing on the board is more beneficial.

9. Play against Stronger Opponents

It’s one of the oldest and proven ways that in every sport when you play against your opponent who is stronger than you, you learn a lot from it.

When you play against a stronger player, you may learn how he has prepared his chess openings and how he refuted your chess opening.

You will also learn his plans in the opening and in the next game you may use his plan :). And at the end of the chess game, you may ask about your mistakes that lead to loss.

In conclusion, there are many benefits which you will get when you play with stronger opponents.

10. Watch Analysis of Top Chess Games

These days, we have one of the biggest advantages for learning things in the world, the advantage is the Internet and Youtube.

You can browse at google.com or youtube.com for watching top chess games, there are many grandmasters who analyze the top chess game on their channels/websites for free.

What will you learn in the analysis of the chess game? you will learn how to develop your chess pieces at the correct place, what is the advantage of playing some openings, and what strategy is used in the game.

In conclusion, watching the analysis of chess games is very important, and it’s one of the factors for getting better at chess.

11. Focus on One Thing

It’s human nature that we love multi-tasking but in today’s era with the help of modern science we get the conclusion that you can not deliver your best at multitasking but you can deliver your best on one thing at a time.

The same rule applies in chess, you should not start learning opening, middlegame, endgame, tactics all things in a row but you should select the area/subject in which you need to improve one by one.

It’s a proven technique that if you want to automate your brain on sth, you have to do it regularly for 21 days.

The same applies here, you should start focusing on one subject for 21 days. Like if you want to learn about a new opening then you should only learn about the opening for 21 days.

In conclusion, you can learn theory, watch games of top chess players in your opening, learning plans, you will do everything related to your chess opening for 21 days.

12. Play different Time Controls

If you want to make progress and want to develop your chess thinking then standard time control is best for you. And if you want to learn new openings and want to practice then blitz time control is better.

Switching to short-time control will increase your tactical ability and to make quick plans in a short time, and this practice will help you to cover time pressure in real big chess tournaments.

In conclusion, playing blitz and bullet will sharpen your tactical strength and plan-making skills, but don’t play too much blitz game as it may ruin your long-term planning which you have to make in real tournaments.

13. Attend Local Tournaments

Nowadays every chess player joins an online chess tournament or plays online games but in order to make quick progress you should join and attend local chess tournaments on a board.

Attending tournaments will teach you a lot of things like handling crowd pressure, the psychological effect of the opponent, and many things which you learn in real tournaments which you can not learn by playing online chess.

In conclusion, you must try to attend local tournaments and play on the real board as much as you can.

14. Hire a coach and Save Time

Hiring a chess coach will be costly but believe me if you really want to play professional chess then hiring a chess coach is the most beneficial and proven method for getting better at chess.

Here are some benefits you may get when you hire a chess coach.

1. You get personalized training, which means your coach will analyze your chess game will sort out your mistakes, and will help you cover those mistakes quickly.
2. You will save a lot of time, which means your coach will help you to learn the opening proper way and you will get his experience which will save you a lot of time.
3. Your coach will also help you to prepare for tournaments, like which opening to play at the tournament and which opening you should play against a known opponent.

In conclusion, in every sport, you see a coach which helps from his experience which you can not get in anywhere in the world. So if you want to make real quick progress and if you can afford to hire a coach, then it’s the most proven method for getting better at chess.

Conclusion

In conclusion of getting better at chess, these 14 methods have been proven to progress, you can use these methods for getting better at chess.

My favorite method for improving at chess is hiring a chess coach because a chess coach has the experience and he can tell us our mistakes and show us how to fix them quickly.

If you have any questions about it, you may ask in the comments below.

The post How to Get Better at Chess [14 Proven Methods] appeared first on Chess Mars.

The Sicilian Defense has been a favorite of many chess champions, including Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov, and Magnus Carlsen.

The purpose of Sicilian Defense is to control the center and grip on the d5 square. White will try to occupy the D4 square but Black has many counter plays especially the target on e4 pawn and the minority attack on Queenside.

The Sicilian Defense is named after the tournament played in the 16th century in Sicily which is the Italian island.

The Sicilian defense in chess is called when white plays 1.e4 and black replies with a c5 move, the c5 move is called Sicilian defense. Here are 23 variations of Sicilian Defense which you must know.

Here is the picture of starting position of Sicilian Defense:

Black replied 1.c5 which is called Sicilian Defense

In this guide, I will explore the different variations of the Sicilian Defense, and I will explain their strategies, strengths, and weaknesses with a picture of starting position in all variations of Sicilian Defense.

Najdorf Variation

The Najdrof variation starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 and black plays Najdrof’s move a6. For those who don’t know the chess notation, here is the picture of Najdrof Variation.

Starting position of Najdrof Variation

The 6th move a6 indicates Najdrof variation. The plans in the Nadjrof variation depend on white’s play if white plays the Bg5 variation then black’s best move is e6, and if white plays Be3 then black’s main plan is to strike back in the center with e5 move.

There are many plans and variations which you should understand and memorize very well if you want to play Najdrof variation.

The Najdrof variation is not recommended for beginners and amateur chess players because it requires a lot of studies and it has rich theories and complications.

Dragon Variation

Dragon variation is one of the famous variations in Sicilian defense, it starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.g6. Here is the picture of the dragon variation.

Dragon Variation

The dragon variation is a very sharp variation in Sicilian Defense, you have to play accurate moves in the opening, its theoretical, and tactical openings.

Usually white castle long side and black castle kingside, with kings in opposite directions, you will face a tough battle, and the one who attacks first usually wins, but make sure your attack must be accurate and concrete.

Scheveningen Variation

The Scheveningen Variation is one of the papular chess openings in the Sicilian defense. Scheveningen is a strong and flexible chess opening that builds a small center with the pawn on e6 and d6. The Scheveningen starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6.

Here is a picture of the Scheveningen Variation:

the Scheveningen Variation

Classical Variation

The Classical variation is one of the oldest and most popular chess openings. Black develops minor pieces and he kept the option for his queenside bishop which is hard to develop in Sicilian defense. The classical variation starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6.

Here is the picture of Classical variation:

Classical Variation

Taimanov Variation

The Taimanov Variation is named after Russian chess player Mark Taimanov.

The point of the Taimanov variation is to delay Nf6 and counter white’s developed knight on d4 with a knight on c6, the plan for black is to push d5 in one go.

The Taimanov variations start with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6.

Here is the picture of the Taimanov variation:

Taimanov variation

Paulsen Variation

Paulsen variation starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Qc7. The Paulsen variation in Sicilian defense is named after Louis Paulsen in the 19th century. Here is the picture of the Paulsen variation.

Paulsen variation

Kan Variation

The Sicilian Kan variation starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6. The difference between the Paulsen variation and the Kan variation is the move order. Both variations start with a6 but in Kan, variation black develops his queenside bishop early b7.

Here is the picture of Kan variation in Sicilian Defense.

The Sicilian Kan variation

The Sicilian Kan variation is a solid variation for black but it’s passive you may get a hard time developing your pieces, but once the development is complete, you will get the fruits. Here is a detailed article on Sicilian kan variation: https://chessrewards.com/sicilian-kan/

Accelerated Dragon

The Sicilian Accelerated Dragon is one of the sharpest chess openings in Sicilian Defense. It starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6, the fianchettoed bishop on g7 put very strong pressure in the center and queenside which is sometimes stronger than a rook.

Here is a picture of Accelerated Dragon.

Accelerated Dragon

Moscow Variation

Moscow Variation in Sicilian Defense is considered one of the antidot to Sicilian d6 move.

It starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ and black’s king is threatened, of course, it’s not the end of the game black has 3 legal ways to defend his king but the purpose of white’s last move has achieved which is to disrupt the black’s development.

Here is the picture of Moscow Variation in Sicilian Defense.

Moscow Variation in Sicilian Defense

Richter-Rauzer Variation

The Richter Rauzer variation is one of the sharp variations in Sicilian defense, it starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5. This variation gives sharp and tactical play for both sides. Here is a picture of the Richter-Rauzer Variation.

Richter Rauzer Variation in Sicilian Defense

Sveshnikov Variation

The Sveshnikov variation starts with 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5, by playing e5 move black seizes the center but there is one problem that occurs which every white player sees immediately the weakness on d6.

Don’t worry about its weakness because black has enough resources to defend his d6 pawn if he plays accurately.

Here is the picture of the Sveshnikov Variation.

the Sveshnikov Variation

Kalashnikov Variation

The Kalashnikov variation starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5, by playing Kalashnikov variation black claims one pawn in the center but it has a weakness at d6, this weaknes will be fixed when black will push d5.

The Kalashnikov variation has been played by many top grandmasters like Avanchuk, Shirov, MVL, and Anand, so you are at good hands.

Here is the picture of the Kalashnikov Variation:

Kalashnikov Variation

Pelikan Variation

Pelikan variation in the Sicilian defense and Sveshnikov variation is the same, and it’s also called the Lasker-Pelikan Variation and it starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 and you reached the Pelikan variation.

Here is the picture of the Pelikan variation.

Pelikan Variation

Nimzowitsch Variation

The Nimzowitsch variation starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6, this opening was developed by great chess mind Aron Nimzowitsch.

The idea behind this opening is to play the opening without theory because other defenses in Sicilian defense have a lot of theory like Najdrof and Dragon variation but if you want to take out white from its comfort zone then this is the perfect variation for you.

Please note that it’s not played at the highest level and you have to build your repertoire without much help.

Here is the picture of the Nimzowitsch Variation:

Nimzowitsch Variation

Four Knights Variation

The four-knight variation is called because 4 knights developed earlier before other pieces in the Sicilian defense. The right move order to reach Four Knight Variation is 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6.

Here is a picture of Four Knights Variation:

Four Knights Variation

Wing Gambit Variation

The Wing Gambit in Sicilian starts with 1.e4 c5 2.b4 the point of the wing gambit is to exchange white’s wing pawn for the central pawn, white sacrifices a pawn, and in return white gets a true pawn center which includes e4 and d4 pawn controlling 8 squares in the center.

Who can play the wing gambit? if you are above 2000 rated player then you can enjoy a space advantage and central pawn majority in the center.

Here is the picture of the Wing gambit in Sicilian Defense:

Wing Gambit

Smith-Morra Gambit

The Smith mora gambit starts with the move order 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3, in this gambit white sacrifices a pawn or pawns in order to develop white’s minor pieces quickly.

Here is the picture of the Smith Mora Gambit:

Smith Mora Gambit

Grand Prix Attack

The Grand Prix Attack is one of the papular chess opening systems in which white plays against Sicilians and some players consider as an anti-Sicilian, the Grand Prix starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4.

White quickly develops his kingside and by playing f4 white opens up his rook for the attack, white will push his f4 pawn to f5 and White will launch a direct attack on Black’s king.

Here is the picture of Grand Prix Attack:

Grand Prix Attack

Closed Sicilian

In Closed Sicilian white plays slow and positional chess, where he develops his pieces and White doesn’t open the center quickly. The closed Sicilian starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.g3, its solid and flexible chess opening for white.

Here is the picture of Closed Sicilian:

Closed Sicilian

Alapin Variation

The Alapin variation is considered an alternative to open Sicilian, where white opens the center with d4.

Alapin variation which starts with 1.e4 c5 2.c3, the point of the Alapin Sicilian variation is to control the center, sometimes white will play d3, and sometimes white strikes into the center with d4.

Here is the picture of the Alapin variation:

Alapin Variation

Rossolimo Variation

The Rossolimo variation is a sound and positional chess opening, it starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 by playing Bb5 white puts pressure on Nc6 and it’s a positional threat of doubled pawns on c6. It’s very flexible and positional opening, white has many ideas in Rossolimo Variation.

Here is the picture of the Rossolimo Variation:

the Rossolimo Variation

The Keres Attack

The Keres Attack is named after grandmaster Paul Keres. The Keres Attack starts with .e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.g4 White pushes his g pawn to push back Black’s only developed piece in the opening and it’s a very dangerous idea developed by Paul Keres.

This variation is papular variation and if black plays Scheveningen you can play Keres attack.

Here is the picture of the Keres Attack:

the Keres Attack

O’Kelly Variation

The O’Kelly variation is a tricky variation in the Sicilian defense. The O’Kelly Variation starts with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6.

The point of a6 is to avoid early Bb5 or knight b5 in some cases. If you don’t know much about O’Kelly then you may get a worse position in the opening.

Here is the picture of the O’Kelly variation:

O’Kelly variation

If you play against O’Kelly there is one antidote that will fix your problem, the move for white is to play the c3 move. after playing c3 black will regret his a6 move.

Conclusion:

These variations in Sicilian defense are popular and played at all levels.

If you want to play the Sicilian defense then you must master all these variations because you don’t know what variation you will face in tournaments.

You may share your experience in the comments below with the Sicilian defense and you may share which variation in Sicilian Defense gives you more victories.

The post Master the Sicilian Defense – All Variations Explained with Visuals appeared first on Chess Mars.

This question needs a full and detailed answer which I will provide you with enough information and with my personal experience.

The best chess opening depends on your playing level, if you are a grandmaster then there will be different best chess openings, and if you are a beginner then there will be different best chess openings for you.

If you want to know the overall best chess opening by database then the King’s Pawn openings (1.e4 best by test – Boby Fischer) have the most winning percentage 59% and king’s pawn openings include Ruy Lopez, Italian Game, and many other openings and gambits which depends on black’s response.

What is the chess opening?

The first few moves of chess are called chess openings. Basically, every chess opening has its own idea which you have to implement in your whole game.

Let me explain in an easy way, so even a beginner can understand chess openings.

Every game of chess has three phases, an opening, a middlegame, and an endgame.

In the opening phase, you have to choose your chess opening and you have to play according to your opening plans and ideas.

A chess opening has its unique idea to implement and if you do not play according to the opening idea then I can guarantee that you will lose your chess game in the opening phase.

Is chess opening important?

Yes, a chess opening is extremely important in your chess game and if you want to play professional chess then you can not win chess game without chess opening knowledge.

Why chess opening is important? because the whole game builds on the chess opening idea. If you do not know about the opening idea then you will be crushed in a few moves, for example, you may have a weakness in your camp or you may be hunted by some opening traps.

Chess openings are very important and you have to study chess openings like a pro, which means you should know the theory, opening plans, variations, middle game ideas, and endgame position according to your opening.

How to choose the best chess openings for yourself?

I mentioned above that choosing the best opening for you is depend on your current playing level and many factors as well.

For ease of selection, below are some guidelines that you have to follow when you are selecting/ learning new openings or updating your opening repertoire.

These general guidelines are for all the openings and you can check the opening by following this guideline and my personal experience as well.

What is a gambit in chess?

Gambit in chess means sacrificing a pawn or pawns and in some cases a minor piece for long-term advantage, for creating a weakness, to disturb an opponent’s development, or in order to launch a quick attack on the opponent’s king.

There are many sharp gambits in chess openings that you should know how to handle or you will lose a game right in the opening phase.

Here are some examples of sharp and attacking gambits with pictures that you should be aware of.

Kings Gambit

King’s gambit start when Black replies 1.e4 with e5 then White hit back with an f4 move sacrificing f pawn temporarily. The point of the king’s gambit is to castle quickly starts a kingside attack with an open f file.

Scotch Gambit

Scotch gambit begins after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 and d4, sacrificing a pawn, and when black takes the pawn white will not recapture the pawn immediately instead white will play Bc4 move and the game goes on.

This is a very sharp gambit and one inaccuracy in the opening can result in a loss of a piece or the game.

Smith Mora Gambit

Smith mora gambit is very sharp if accepted, the gambit starts with 1.e4 c5 and white sacrifices a pawn by playing d4.

Black takes the extra central pawn and White again offers another pawn which is c3 if black accepts c3 then White will develop Nf3 and bishop c4 and castle even if Black takes the third pawn.

The point of the Smith mora gambit is to give up pawns in order to develop quickly and launch an attack. If Black is careless and takes pawns then he will be crushed in the opening for sure.

Danish Gambit

Danish Gambit is similar to the Smith mora gambit, the difference is that if your opponent plays Sicilian against you then you can play the Smith mora gambit, and if your opponent plays 1.e5 then you can play Danish Gambit against e5 move.

The point of the Danish gambit is to sacrifice a pawn or two pawns for the lead in the development. After development white will launch an attack on the opponent’s king,

Budapest Gambit

The Budapest gambit starts with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5, the point of the Budapest gambit is to disturb the white’s smooth development and equalize the white’s center in the opening.

When White takes the e5 pawn, black’s knight jump on g4, and Black’s all forces will try to get back his pawn with the development of pieces. Black usually castles long side in this gambit.

Stafford Gambit

The Stafford gambit is another gambit for Petroff players who don’t like draw. The petrrof defense is usually considered a draw because of similar pawn structure and piece placement but if you don’t like drawish position then you can play the Stafford gambit.

I have written a detailed article on Stafford’s gambit with tips and traps, check out: https://chessrewards.com/stafford-gambit/

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you are below 2000 elo then you can try some gambits in blitz or rapid games but if you are above 2000 rating then you will not get any advantage because players above 2000 elo know the refutation of the gambit and it will be hard getting back the sacrificed material.

What is the Center in Chess Openings And How to Control It

Controlling 8 squares in the center

The center of the chess board is the most important area to have a solid grip on the whole chess game. Because if you control the center, then you control the direction of play and attack.

For example, if you have control of 8 central squares of the board then your opponent will not find any good square for the development of his minor pieces and you have the choice to attack kingside or queenside because you have central control and your pieces and pawns have more control and space on the board.

In order to control the center, you have to choose the best chess opening which controls the center.

For example, you can control the center by playing e4 and d4 if allowed (of course your opponent also has the move). Play the openings that begin 1.e4 or d4 because it controls the center directly.

Other openings which control the center indirectly are also good like the Nimzo Indian defense (in Nimzo Indian you control the center by minor pieces).

In conclusion, control of the center in chess openings is very important and you should choose the openings which control the center at the start of the game.

The Role of Pawn Structures in Chess Openings

If you are a beginner and amateur chess player then you probably do not know about the pawn structures in the opening.

Every chess opening has its own pawn structure related to its ideas and plans.

In order to understand opening like a professional chess player, you must know the pawn structure of your chess openings.

Here are some examples of popular chess openings and pawn structures which you should know if you are playing one of these openings.

Carlsbad Pawn Structure

Carlsbad Pawn Structure

The Carlsbad pawn structure is one of the famous pawn structures which occurs in the Queen’s Gambit Declined variation. This pawn structure also occurs in some other chess openings like Semi-Slav, Tartakower defense, and Lasker’s Defense.

The point of the Carlsbad structure is to play a minority attack against the black’s queenside pawn chain.

The plan is to advance white’s B pawn and A pawn in order to create a weakness on c6, once the weakness on c6 has been created the white will play on the weakness and will win black’s c6 pawn for free.

Maroczy Bind Pawn Structure

If you achieve this pawn structure with minor pieces on the board then you have winning chances, you can not believe without playing it.

In Marocozy Bind Pawn Structure white has a strong grip and control on the center, and the control on the center gives White the option to play either kingside by playing f4 or can advance his queenside majority which is also one of the winning advantages if you can convert it.

Caro Slav Pawn Structure

This is the pawn structure that occurs in many openings like Slav Defense, and Caro Kan, and a similar structure with black pieces also occurs in Scandinavian Defense.

In this structure, black is very solid but passive, so black needs to open the game, black has two pawn breaks, one is with C5 and the second is e5.

If you play this type of pawn structure then you need to understand the structure and you have to watch chess games of top players for better understanding.

Conclusion of Pawn Structures

If you want to learn any opening then you must learn the pawn structure of that opening and you must watch top chess games played in your pawn structures. When choosing the best opening you must look into the pawn structure of the opening.

Open and Closed Chess Openings

There are two types of chess openings that you must be aware of. One is with open positions like where the center will be open and there will be a sharp game.

Second is the closed center, where the game develops slowly like in some d4 openings, for example, slave defense and queens gambit declined where the game develops slowly and the center remains closed for a long time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you want to play an attacking chess game and you like sharp and tactical positions, then you should choose 1.e4 openings. And If you want to play a classic chess game and build slowly and positionally step by step then 1.d4 opening will be suitable for you.

The Best Chess Openings for Attacking Play

There are many sharp openings in which you have to play accurately and precisely, even one small inaccuracy will result in losing position in the opening, the best example of this kind of opening is the Sicilian defense dragon variation.

In dragon variation, you must play all the opening moves precisely and accurately and if you play one inaccuracy it will result in a quick loss.

Here are some openings for attacking play.

Kings Gambit

King’s Gambit

Danish Gambit

Danish Gambit

Evans Gambit

For a complete guide, you may visit: https://chessrewards.com/evans-gambit-accepted/

Scotch Gambit

Scotch Gambit

Haloween Gambit

The Halloween Gambit starts with 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nxe5, the point of the Halloween gambit is to sacrifice a piece in order t get full central controls with pawns and then complete development and launch an attack.

Fried Liver Attack

This is one of the strongest and most sound gambits. Here is a complete guide for Fried Liver Attack: https://chessrewards.com/fried-liver-attack/

Conclusion

In conclusion, these attacking openings require one must-have skill which is tactics, you must be stronger in tactics if you want to play attacking openings if you are not an attacking player then you may not get the advantage in these attacking chess openings.

The Best Chess Openings for Beginners

As I said earlier that choosing the opening depends on many factors such as your current playing level, your positional understanding, your grip on tactics, and your knowledge of opening theory but with my own experience here is what I recommend for beginners especially if you are under 1600 rated.

With white pieces you should play d4 opening, you may choose London System, Colle System, and Stonewall Attack, these systems are easy to learn and have a clear plan which will bypass your opening phase and in the middle game you will know what to do next.

With Black pieces, against 1.e4 you should play Scandinavian Defense, and against 1.d4 you should play Benko gambit.

If you are not satisfied with Scandinavian Defense then you can play Sicilian Kan Variation and against d4 you can play Nimzo Indian Defense.

This recommendation which I suggested is tested by me and I got a 2000 rating with these openings which I mentioned above.

So its a practical recommendation and if you are still not happy with it then you can play whatever suits you.

Papular Chess Openings

Here are some popular openings at all levels. They are strong chess openings with rich theory, so if you are planning to play these openings then you must know the theory, move orders, plans, and best games of top chess players.

Let’s get to a brief introduction of these popular chess openings.

Italian Game

The Italian game starts with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4, the bishop c4 was Bobby Fischer’s favorite move, after Bobby Fischer, many grandmasters adopted this move, and still today after getting a strong engines this move is one strongest move in the above position.

Ruy Lopez

Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest chess openings, which is named after Spanish bishop Ruy Lopez de Segura who wrote one of the oldest chess books in history.

The opening starts with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3. Bb5, Ruy Lopez is very position and strategic opening, both players fight for the centers.

White has many opening plans he can play in the center, queenside, and Kingside, and don’t forget that in all plans black also have the counterplay.

In order to master Ruy Lopez you must learn the theory and the model games of great chess players.

Sicilian Defense

The Sicilian Defense starts with 1.e4 and Black replies with C5. This is a very sharp and complex opening played first time in the 16th century on the Italian Island of Sicily.

There are many variations in Sicilian defense like Najdrof, Kan Variation, Schevengen, Dragon, and others variations.

In order to play Sicilian Defense, you must have knowledge of updated theory and updated move order.

Many top grandmasters have played Sicilian Defense, some of the big names are Garry Kasparov, Bobby Fischer, and Magnus Carlsen.

If you are planning to play Sicilian Defense then you must know that you can not afford even one inaccuracy in the opening which will result in losing the game in the opening. You must play opening moves accurately and precisely.

For a complete guide on Sicilian Kan: https://chessrewards.com/sicilian-kan/

Nimzo Indian Defense

The Nimzo Indian Defense starts with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4. It is named after Aron Nimzowitch one of the greatest chess mind, who presented the concept that the center can be controlled by the pieces and not just pawns, and his theory is still proved by chess engines.

This defense is popular and played by all levels of players. The opening is very strategic, one of the main ideas of Nimzo Indian Defense is to double White’s pawn on c3 and build up the middlegame on winning it.

Conclusion of What is the best chess opening?

When you want to learn new chess opening or want to check whether your chess openings is the best for you or not, you have to follow some general rules. Here are rules and guidelines which you have to follow in order to learn best chess opening.

1. Check if your opening controls the center at the beginning of the game or not.
2. Check if your opening has a rich theory and backup from strong grandmasters.
3. Check if your opening has a rich pawn structure that is not easy to crack.
4. Check the database for your opening results.
5. Watch games of your opening, played by top chess grandmasters.

If you still have any questions about the opening, then feel free to ask in the comments below by mentioning your rating and I will suggest you the opening according to your level.

The post What Makes a Chess Opening the Best? Key Factors Explained appeared first on Chess Mars.

Now the question which I am going to answer is how to win chess in 2 moves.

Yes, it’s possible to win chess in 2 moves only if you are playing with black pieces and white plays the first two moves with f4 and g4. You can win chess in 2 moves against beginners because they don’t know what they are doing.

Why white will play f4 first move? because it’s a bird opening and white wants to hold control in the center, so many beginner players can play the f4 move in the starting, that’s where black takes the advantage of the weakened white king.

Let’s understand with the pictures so you can understand by just looking at the position.

White plays with the f4 move by playing bird opening.

After this move white has weakened his king and must attack his king, so black plays e6 in order to open the queen for the attack.

Here is the picture of black playing e6 on 1st move.

After black played e6, white should be careful because his king is so weak and as you know that the pawn can not go back, so white should play knight f3 in order to h4 square. but white is in unaware of the danger and he played g4.

Now white is not playing with his eyes opened and white should be punished for his mistake. You know that it’s a second in the game and white has to resign.

Here is the final execution of black’s plan.

Black played queen to h4 and white’s king has no square to go and defend, you can see that white is helpless, white’s all pieces were watching the king and didn’t help. Now you know the answer to how to win chess in 2 moves.

Example game on how to win chess in 2 moves

I found one game in the database which was won in 2 moves. This game was played at under 8 levels. Let’s watch the game.

Please flip the board to the black side for a better view.

Guideline for avoiding early checkmates

Here are some of my personal recommendations for beginners in order to avoid early checkmates in chess.

Do not move pawns in the opening phase

Well, you may be laughing at how can you play the game if you do not move pawns, what I mean is that you should only move the pawn if it helps you develop your pieces. As you can see that in the above example white played the f4 move that’s ok, but on the next move, he should be played Nf3, but he didn’t play.

Develop your pieces and control the center

In order to avoid early checkmates, you should develop your minor pieces in the opening. And you should control the center with pieces or pawns.

Now next question arises here what should we do after controlling the center? The answer is very simple. After controlling the center you can launch an attack on the kingside or queenside. This option is only available if you control the center very well.

Learn opening theory

You can not play chess with your mind only nowadays because of the computers. Chess players are well prepared with engines like stockfish. In order to avoid early loss in the opening, you should learn the opening theory.

You can learn opening theory by asking higher-rated chess players, or by hiring a coach. And if you want to learn chess for free, then you can use the internet just type your opening and hit enter. You will see many results from blogs, where you can learn about any opening for free. Alternatively, you can ask questions and get answers from experienced chess players on thechessforum.com.

F2/F7 weakest squares in chess opening

As I highlighted in the above picture, these are the weakest squares in chess opening. You must pay attention to these squares and you should check out your opponent if they are attacking these squares early in the game.

How can you avoid winning chess in 2 moves?

You can only avoid it if you know the basics of the chess opening. Now next question arises here how to learn chess opening? here is what I recommend for learning any chess opening.

This is a very difficult question because it depends on your current level and your playing style. If you are below 2000 then I would recommend three simple openings and defense that you should learn first.

With white pieces, you should learn and prepare one of the systems with d4. You may prepare London System, Colle Opening, or Stonewall system.

These three systems have less theory and these systems rely on ideas, for example attacking the king is the main theme in the Colle system.

With black pieces, you should play the Scandinavian Defense against e4 because it’s easy and ideas are very clear and you don’t need tons of theory to play the Scandinavian. Another option is the Sicilian Kan. Here is my detailed article on Sicilian Kan: Sicilian kan [Guide and Repertoire]

Against d4 I suggest the Benko gambit for the same reason because it has less theory and if you know the idea behind the Benko gambit then you can play without memorization of the moves.

Conclusion:

In the conclusion, you know that you can only win chess in 2 moves if you are playing with black pieces and white plays first move f4 and second move g4. If you have any questions on how to win chess in 2 moves, feel free to ask below comments.

The post How to Win Chess in 2 Moves [Explained] appeared first on Chess Mars.

The one-line answer is, that en passant is the unique rule in chess that allows you to capture the pawn when he moves two squares to prevent it from being captured.

The en passant move is aligned with Fide and USCF tournament rules and is a legitimate move to play even with its unusual yet unique playstyle.

The laws of chess are direct and have been solidified through time. There have been so many chess tournaments in the past few centuries that deserve this credit. Enpassant is one of the notable exceptions to the rules.

Before going into detail about en passant, let me explain with pictures, so you can understand en passant better.

Here is the starting position of the opening called the scotch gambit.

In this position white can play c4 move, please remember that we are not learning the opening instead we are learning en passant. So white played c4 move because you have the option to move pawns two squares in starting of the game, and after moving two squares you have to move only one square.

Now white played c4, as you can see in the picture below.

In the above position, white played c4 according to the chess rules that for the first time he can play any pawns to two squares. Now black has the option for en passant, which means you have the opportunity to capture this pawn although the pawn can not capture the right or left side.

how en passant move works

The above picture explains everything you need to know about en passant. Here is the final execution of en important move.

I hope that I cleared all the questions about en passant move and now you are ready to play en passant move. For further explanation of en passant, I am giving the whole process in game mode below. Play the game below and you will know how to play the en passant move.

If you still need more information about en passant, you can continue reading the rest of the article.

En passant is a chess move created in response to the introduction of another move. Both these moves involve the pawn, the lowest-level chess piece, which can move one square forward or diagonally by standard rules.

The one-square forward rule was updated to allow the pawn to move two squares forward only on a pawn’s first move. This helped to quicken the pace of the game in general.

En passant meaning

En passant is denoted by “e.p” in chess notation. It stands for ‘in passing’ in French, precisely how the ‘capture pawn’ captures the opponent’s pawn. Usually, in chess, the opposing piece would occupy the captured piece’s position to capture a piece.

However, while using the en passant move, the pawn capturing moves diagonally next to the pawn to be captured. In other words, a pawn that moves two squares forward on its first turn is susceptible to the en passant move from the opposing pawn.

It’s important to remember that an en passant can only occur between two pawns and can not involve any other chess piece. The King, Queen, rook, bishop, or knight can not perform the en passant move.

Why was the en passant move introduced?

En passant the move allowed the pawn to move two squares instead of one on its first move. This made the game a bit more fast-paced because most chess matches take too long.

So, with the introduction of this new rule came new drawbacks. It gave certain advantages to moving the pawn two squares at the start of a pawn’s move. The en passant capture was introduced to prevent an unfair advantage in a match.

Hence one of the main requirements to perform an en passant capture is that the opposing pawn you are capturing must have moved two squares.

When and how many times can en passant capture be used?

There are some things to note before you can initiate an en passant.

⦁ The pawn that is going to be initiating the en peasant must be on the fifth rank (row) of the adjacent file (column). This means your pawn must have already advanced three squares before the en passant capture move.

⦁ In its first and only in that single turn, the pawn being captured must have advanced two squares instead of one.

⦁ The en passant capture must be initiated immediately on your turn after the opposing pawn advances two squares. Otherwise, you lose the chance to use the en passant capture move.

Players have to be wary about when to use the en passant. This is because there could be another piece on the board which you must give attention to during a turn. In such an instance, you might lose the chance to perform the en passant altogether because of its one time per opposing player’s every pawn’s initial move.

Conclusion

En passant was introduced to make the game more exciting. Having a single-piece type break the traditional rules of chess legally gives way to many strategic moves.

Although it has limitations that allow it to break standard practices, it is also helpful to be careful about when to use it. If done right, you can enjoy a strategic advantage; it might put you on the board, but if done wrong, you might end up with a penalty.

I hope you learned the en passant rule and now you know what is en passant, if you have any questions related to en passant, feel free to ask.

The post What is an en passant in chess [Explained] appeared first on Chess Mars.

How to set up a chess board in 7 steps

Here are 7 steps that you must follow when you are setting up a chess board. These steps will help you to set up a chess board quickly and correctly.

1. A white cornered square must be on the right side of the board.
2. Put all the pawns on second and 7th rank of the board.
3. Put all rooks on four-cornered squares.
4. Put all knights next to rooks.
5. Put all bishops next to knights
6. Put a queen on its color, like a white queen must be on the white square and a black queen must be on the black square.
7. Put the King next to the queen.

Congratulations, you have set up a board correctly. Now please remember that white always moves first.

Let’s follow all steps with pictures so you can memorize what the chess board will look like. Here is the picture of the empty chess board.

empty chessboard

The very first step is to put the white cornered square on the right side of the board. Here is the example below in the picture in which a white cornered square is highlighted.

1: White cornered square on the right side of the board

White cornered square

When you have a chance to set up a chess board, you must place the white cornered square on the right side, in this way step 1 will be completed.

2: Put all the pawns on the second and 7th rank of the board

Step two is very easy, you have to put the white pawns on the second rank and all the black pawns on the 7th rank in order set up a chess board like an expert. Here is an exemplary picture of the chess board with pawns.

As you can see that it’s very easy to remember about setting up a chess board and now you know where all pawns will go.

3: Put the rooks on four-cornered squares

Now pick the rooks and place them on all cornered squares. If you are just setting up white pieces then you should pick the white rooks and not black rooks. Here is the picture which explains how rooks should be placed.

All four rooks have been placed on the corners of the board and I have highlighted them as well. It’s very easy, so there is no need to remember anything yet.

4: Put all knights next to rooks

Now you have to put all the knights next to the rooks, I am saying all because we have to set up a whole chess board not a one-sided chess board. Let’s look at the picture below and you will remember it by heart.

The knights have been placed correctly.

5: Put all bishops next to knights

Bishops are very dangerous, because of their capacity for long-range attacks. Oh, I am in love with bishops. You just have to put the bishops next to the knights. Here is the picture which explains cleverly.

I have highlighted all the bishops and you can see how they should be placed.

6: Put a queen on its color

Queen is the most powerful piece on the chess board, that’s why she sits next to the king. There is only one thing that you should remember that queen must be on its color, if you are setting up white pieces then the queen will go in the white square next to the king.

Here is the picture which explains where queens must be placed.

7: Put the King next to the queen

After placing the queen you have left only one square which belongs to the king. Therefore you should place the king on the remaining square. Here is the picture of the complete setup of the chess board after placing the king.

Congratulations, you have set up a chess board correctly.

Conclusion

There are 7 steps to remember when you are teaching your kids how to set up a chess board. The first step is to look at the white cornered square and place it on your right side. Then you have to remember the shortcut of RKB which means rook, knight, and bishop, and the last step is the queen on its color.

I hope that now you will be able to set up a chess board. One another important thing after setting up a chess board is to know how to castle, this guide may also help you: https://thechessforum.com/how-to-castle-in-chess/.

Frequently Asked Questions about setting up a chess board

There are some frequently asked questions about the chess boards. These questions will help you to get more knowledge about the chess board.

How many squares in the chess board?

There are 64 squares on the chess board. And there will be 8 rows and 8 columns.

Why are the chess boards black and white?

There is no rule that the chess board must be black and white, There are many colors but the point is both colors must not be the same and they should be in the contrast for the ease of the game. That’s why the chess board is black and white. If you want to know more about the color history of the chess board then you may visit Black and White color in Chess.

What are the chess board dimensions?

There are two dimensions available for the chess board. One is from FIDE, which says that a square size must be 1.97 inches to 2.36 inches. And another dimension from USCF (United States Chess Federation ) says the square size should be from 2 inches to 2.5 inches.

What are the letters and numbers on a chess board?

The letters and numbers on a chess board are called notation in chess. This notation will help you to write the chess game on paper which will be given to you in the classical chess game.

The chess board has 1-8 horizontal ranks and 8 vertical files with alphabet written on it. Here is the chess board with notations that will explain clearly what I am saying.

I have highlighted numbers and letters in red color, in order to explain what is chess notation.

If you have any other questions related to the chessboard, feel free to ask.

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